# Exponential backoff in one sentence: each successive retry waits roughly twice as long as the previo

Canonical URL: <https://datadriven.io/problems/exponential-backoff-in-one-sentence-each-successive-retry-w-9253821c>

Domain: Pipeline Design · Difficulty: medium

## Problem

Exponential backoff in one sentence: each successive retry waits roughly twice as long as the previous one (base * 2^attempt), capped at a maximum, with jitter applied. Without a cap the seventh retry waits 64 seconds, the tenth waits 512, the fifteenth waits four hours. The cap is non-optional. Compute the wait by replacing the retry transform with one whose name states the formula's three knobs: base, cap, and a jitter strategy.

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